According to the ONS statistics, published in the Guardian today (20 March), the number of architects claiming benefit between February 2008 and February 2009 rose by 760 per cent, from 150 to 1,290.

The second biggest increase was among architectural technologists and town-planning technicians. Other jobs related to the construction industry such as surveyors, engineers and scaffolders all feature prominently in those professions that have seen the biggest increases.